I’m a monk at a Buddhist temple in the US on a R1 visa. I’m looking for help with my green card. I am on my 4th year with the R1 visa and I know I am going to hit my 5 year maximum soon. Can I apply for the green card? What if my R1 expires before the … Read more
I have an approved religious worker visa and my green card is waiting for approvel. I was wondering if I can switch to another church before I get the green card? The answer is no if you still want to obtain the green card. The law, specifically AC21, allows porting between employers where there is an approved … Read more
My Church applied my H1B for me as a Pastor. The Nebraska center just denied because they say that a Bachelor’s degree is not required for a Pastor. Is that true? USCIS believes that there is a significant amount of fraud in religious worker visas and immigration has taken a hard line on these types … Read more
In an effort to combat alleged fraud, the USCIS has made significant new requirements for petitioning religious organizations and R-1 Visa beneficiaries. The primary changes are a requirement to file an R-1 petition with USCIS, the petitioning organization must allow USCIS to inspect the site where the prospective R-1 holder will work, the initial validity … Read more